Canadian entrepreneurs are increasingly turning to social media to promote their company brands, with a more than 40% increase in usage in just one year, according to the results of a BMO poll released October 25.
The poll found that 57% of Canadian entrepreneurs (56% in British Columbia) report using social media, compared with 40% in 2012.
“These numbers show that social media tools are playing an increasingly important role for Canadian business owners as they continue to look for ways to increase and protect their brand profile while deepening their connection with customers,” said Steve Murphy, senior vice-president, commercial banking, at BMO Bank of Montreal.
The most popular platform was Facebook, with 43% of respondents saying they used this tool, up from 27% in 2012. LinkedIn came in second with 28% - up 87% from 15% in 2012. Twitter use increased from 10% to 17% over the same period.
The most common reasons small business owners cite for using social media include:
- promoting their company brands (46%);
- selling their products and services (38%);
- crowd sourcing ideas or suggestions (38%); and
- tracking what is being said about their companies (35%) or their competitors (26%).
